So after seeing this thread over in the G2 forums and purchasing and applying the carbon fiber (found here) I had a small but not totally unusable sheet of leftovers. After looking at my pile of electronics wondering what I was going to cover next I settled on the Transformer. I figured it'd be nice to have a textured trackpad like the Asus netbooks do. After testing the trackpad functionality through the skin (works flawlessly) I got to work cutting it out. Its a pretty simple affair. I used a fingernail and toothpick to trace along the lines surrounding the pad and then took an exacto knife and carefully and slowly cut along the crevice. With the blade being so sharp it was able to glide along the small crack between trackpad and palm rest leaving a very professional look. All said and done it took me 3 minutes.
I'm not sure what other pictures I can take but if you want more let me know.
Interesting, I think it would look good against something like the skinomi silver carbon.
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I have the Black Carbon Fiber back skin and clear screen protector. I put the Carbon Fiber piece on and it looks great. Here is the problem. I misread the instructions and used the fluid on the back skin and they state later in the instructions to not use fluid to put on that part. There is not much fluid in their little spray bottle and it was used up on the back skin. I have no more to be able to put on the screen protector. Yeah stupid I know. Anyone know what their solution is? Or is it better to wait until they respond to my email and either purchase some more or will zagg solution work?
They used to not even supply the solution. They would just say use a solution of water and a tiny bit of liquid soap... I think that would be fine
You aren't suppose to put water on the back.
However I hope you know the solution is basically water and a bit of soap or shampoo I believe.
You can easily do this yourself.
trancemode said:
You aren't suppose to put water on the back.
However I hope you know the solution is basically water and a bit of soap or shampoo I believe.
You can easily do this yourself.
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Yeah I realize not to put the solution on the Carbon Fiber part now. Got worried after I realized that your not supposed to wet the Carbon Fiber piece and took it back off. I did not want to chance any damage to the tablet itself. The front pieces of Carbon Fiber trim went on without water. There was still a lot of moisture on the back which I dried off cleaned up. I added a little water to the original spray bottle and shook it up and could see there must be some residual of the soap/shampoo still there and attempted the screen protector. With the trim pieces of the Carbon Fiber on the front I could not get the screen protector to lay down on the screen decent. Worried that I would have excess water near those parts and where the screen joined the body I took it off cleaned it up and said screw it. If anyone puts these on in the future put the screen protector down before the trim pieces on the sides. You will save yourself alot of grief and worry.
Out of curiosity, how's the feel of the skin across the back of the tablet? Does it seem to be sticking well?
I've been going on back and fourth on getting a Skinomi but with the textured back on the Transformer I wasn't sure how it would look or how well it would apply.
stringsci said:
Out of curiosity, how's the feel of the skin across the back of the tablet? Does it seem to be sticking well?
I've been going on back and fourth on getting a Skinomi but with the textured back on the Transformer I wasn't sure how it would look or how well it would apply.
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It actually sticks well and if you've ever felt carbon fiber skins before it feels pretty much the same. It has a nice texture an grip.
The solution is 90% water, mixed with a little bit of soap. I use to work at Ghost Armor.
iastonish said:
It actually sticks well and if you've ever felt carbon fiber skins before it feels pretty much the same. It has a nice texture an grip.
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Thanks for the input. I've got a hardback sleeve I like (Built NY "Hoodie" 10 inch) but having that next level of protection from scratches and scuffs will be nice. I'm going for dark wood to match my Evo.
I'd really something akin to the OtterBox commuter series but since they're not going to be making one for the Transformer I'll go with the skin/sleeve combo for now.
skinomi claims that all you have to do is add water to the bottle, the leftover residue should still be enough for a good mixture.
Like many of you I got my Gtab from woot.com I searched around for a screen protector with the perfect fit and couldn't find one until someone on here posted that xoskins.com made one for them http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=1005240 where I said I would write a review once I got it. Its a holiday so I have time, here we go. I have used their skins in the past and I am a huge fan. At the time they were the only ones who did the cutouts correctly and their stuff is by far the best. No orange peel, no rubbery texture, and a lifetime warranty.
Packaging:
The skin came in a padded envelope with a snakeskin (not real snakeskin, but some texture printing very cool) box inside. The box had the skin, a spray bottle, squeegee, and instructions. The instructions are detailed and show you how to do it. They also have a youtube channel with install videos/guides if this is your first time.
Installation:
The install took me about 5 minutes. I have done these before so I am not a n00b. Just take your time and installing any skins are easy. Try and do this at night so that way you will leave your skin time to dry over night. I always steam up my bathroom before installing a skin, this drops all the dust out of the air. Wash your hands very well so that you don't have oils that will leave a finger print. Spray a fair amount of the spray on the sticky side to make sure its completely covered. Lay it down on the gtab and line it up. Then spray a lil on the surface of the skin where you will squeegee. I make one light pass over the whole screen to get it lightly tacked down and once I know its in place I press firmly and squeegee out the rest of the spray. It may leave some streaks but those go away after a day or so.
Look and Feel:
These usually take a day or two to completely cure. After they are installed they sometimes look hazy but after the day or so they clear up and look crystal. These skins are my fav because they don't have an orange peel/rubber texture to them. They feel as smooth as the plastic skins, but they are as strong as any polyurethane one. They do not turn yellow because of a uv coating which is also what hides fingerprints. On a big reader screen these are a must because of that alone.
Care:
DO NOT spray windex on these! I sprayed some on my evo skin and it kind of eats at it. I contacted their customer service and they sent me a new one and recommended using just the spray it came with to clean the screen. Windex has some acidic properties to it that are not nice to any urethane or plastic. They also said if it runs out fill it back up with water and a drop or two of dish soap.
I highly recommend these skins. I have used many in the past and I install these for everyone at work. Check them out.
So after looking and looking, I finally decided to drop the $59 (shipping from their site is free) and get the Gumdrop skin case. I found that I was leaving my tablet at home all the time because I was worried about dropping it, and by the time someone makes one to satisfy my needs to work with the dock too, I'd be looking for another tablet.
So I picked up the military one, in the green from their website. I figured if I didn't like it, I can easily return it.
Item showed up today, they ship Fedex Ground if anyone is wondering, and I ordered it last Thursday. The packaging it comes in is pretty damned sturdy. I'm usually anal about protecting anything I buy, and the packaging it came in was probably a bit overboard.
Getting it pulled apart to get the printed insert out of the actual case was impressive in its own. NOTHING is going to hurt your tablet in this case, other than if you stepped in the middle of it.
Anyways, I wanted to get this thread started, so I can answer any questions folks have about this case. I just got it a few hours ago, and will do a short review this weekend, and a longer term review after a month or so. I'll get you some pictures too of all the parts and how it goes together.
A few initial notes.
1. This thing is THICK.
2. When I opened it, my first thought was, "Get rid of the integrated screen protector". I decided to pull it out, then put it on top of my tablet to see if you can use the touch screen with it on there (it is a "hard" screen protector). The screen picks up your movements PERFECT with the screen protector in place.
3. All cutouts are perfect.
4. The entire device is covered
5. The thick silicone rubber exterior has a hard plastic skeleton that you snap on over your tablet. Then you stretch the exterior over that.
6. The screen cover has a hard plastic frame that snaps into the skeleton, from the INSIDE.
There is no slack, no wiggling, and once you get it in place and push all of the locking tabs from the exterior through the skeleton, it looks like your tablet was BUILT this way. Amazing.
My only cons so far...
1. I wish the screen cover snapped in from the outside. Not that I'll ever probably take it off, but it would be nice to have the option.
2. No kickstand. With the plastic skeleton, I see no reason they couldn't have integrated a kickstand like the Incipio cases.
I am still holding out hopes for someone to make something like this that leaves a option to connect your dock. A detachable cover at the bottom and a matching case for the dock would fix it all.
Also, I'm kind of surprised no one has a dock to tablet extension cable yet. That would actually make this really nice. With a kickstand.
LOL
Okay, I'll get more info soon, get me your questions if you have any folks.
cool review, got a link by chance?
polo79 said:
cool review, got a link by chance?
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Amazon has them - http://www.amzn.com/dp/B005FVDVIW
And the manu page - http://www.gumdropcases.com/tablet-cases.html
I can't really tell the difference between the military and regular ones - I'm eyeing up that red/black model. Thanks for the review.
If they made this case that fit both the TF and dock, i would buy it
Is there any kind of buffer between the hard plasktic screen protector and the screen? My experience with hard plastic screen protectors is that sometimes small objects or dirt gets caught between the screen protector and screen. With use this trapped dirt starts to scratch the screen. You might also consider getting a stick-on screen protector as well.
I saw a review where there was a question about how this case might make the device retain heat. Do you notice any overheating?
i have the same case and think it is build like a tank and everything the OP says it is. i have not noticed any overheating at all. a lot of people were saying how ugly it is, i think it is really cool looking in person, i have the same OD green military version
bulldogbreed said:
i have the same case and think it is build like a tank and everything the OP says it is. i have not noticed any overheating at all. a lot of people were saying how ugly it is, i think it is really cool looking in person, i have the same OD green military version
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Is there any kind of buffer between the hard plasktic screen protector and the screen? My experience with hard plastic screen protectors is that sometimes small objects or dirt gets caught between the screen protector and screen. With use this trapped dirt starts to scratch the screen. You might also consider getting a stick-on screen protector as well.
My priorities for selection was protection, functionality & "looks". I doubt I'll invest in the keyboard/dock; I'm essentially wanting a larger smart phone, LOL
My only nit with it...is the images make the green look more pastelly versus a darker tone...which IMO, is more in line with a "military" green. But I guess the tone makes it a bit more fashionable. I can live with it.
Great lil review. Thank you for reaffirming my choice.
Purchased the SiKai MicroFiber case for the Lenovo IdeaPad K1 Tablet. Delivery was within the UK and didn't take too long, about 5 days including the weekend.
I paid £15.19 delivered from Ebay UK Item number: 200647561882
The case is made from a strange type of plastic material, it's quite soft and flexible. Am kind of glad rather than faux leather. It is very thin and light, but seems sturdy enough to protect the tablet around the house. I have a 10" netbook bag that I keep it in when travelling to add extra protection.
I like it since it makes it easy to carry around with you and doesn't add bulk to it. I would say the case is lighter than my official HP Touchpad case and similar in strength, although a different material. I can only compare it to the ROOCASE Multi-Angle Leather Case and can say it is much thinner and lighter than that.
There is only one angle that the case allows for, but since it is an Android tablet you can flip the whole thing round and get a lower angle. Its fine for watching at night when streaming video so its not an issue for me.
Price wise the only options available to me at the time were the faux leather ones for about £9.99 or the official case from the Lenovo website coming in at a hefty £34.99 once you add the crazy £10 delivery charge! Not many options in the UK unfortunately but am glad I did some research and found this case.
Other things that you might notice in the photos (sorry poor camera phone ones) there is a place to put a pen, all cut outs seem correct and I love the fact that I can charge it without having the case open, also the hdmi port is free.
Not sure how long it will last but considering the few days usage of it, the minor things like the tablet can slide a tiny bit inside the case so would have preferred a tighter fit (although will try and adjust the velcro again that closes once you slip the tablet inside), the cut out by the front facing button could be a bit lower, and the magnetic clasps to be quite weak I will give this case an 8/10 and can recommend it.
http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/SiKai-MicroFiber-case-Lenovo-IdeaPad-Tablet-K1-case-/200647561882
great case! I bought this sikai case too and actually prefer it more than the original lenovo K1 case.
This covers all ports, and also has a great microfiber texture that is slightly grippy, while remaining smooth to the touch. does not attract dust at all and keeps the K1 snug (if it feels loose, readjust the velcro tighter).
recommended!
Yeh have tightened it a bit more, doesn't move as much.... Glad I chose this over the cheaper cases and the official one which was more than double the cost here in the UK.
Can't believe how dead this forum is for this tablet, going to see if there are anymore forums with more support....
Just got this tab last week and love it so far. Looking for a good case but hate the leather, faux leather look.
Please let me know if you find more forums as I have looked and am surprised how little I've found....
I know of one other decent one, google "lenovo community K1"
viggs74 said:
Just got this tab last week and love it so far. Looking for a good case but hate the leather, faux leather look.
Please let me know if you find more forums as I have looked and am surprised how little I've found....
I know of one other decent one, google "lenovo community K1"
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Cool will do.
This case is pretty good if you want something thin and light, there are stronger/more protective cases out there but they add bulk and I don't want that since I use this round the house...... Still glad I bought this case and find it better in that respect to the Roocase.....
Thanks, will google what you said.....
Got the SiKai for my TPT. Everyting else looks bulky in comparison. It is extremely thin (I''ve tried a lot of gadget cases over the years), and although it's screamingly vinyl, it doesn't look really cheap since it fits so well. Leather like this might come off as over-the-top (not that I wouldn't probably sucker into that if I could find it). It's got the seam around the edge where it cushions a drop, and the magnetic closure on the flap is a great touch, not too powerful, but it stays closed well enough.
My gripes are with the screen cover flap: it leaves two stripes on my matte screen protector where the fold places rub off the grease I thought I cleaned off last night, it doesn't hold the tablet vertical enough to really use, and it's busy looking on the front. If I had a choice in the design, I would leave off the "stand" capabilities and leave it flat. If it's open, it's really floppy; it would be easier to manage if it were entirely rigid. I might add a hide-able tether & a knob/button so you could stand it up on its other edge more vertically instead.
All in all, for the price I paid (US$26-ish), I'm very happy with it. If Piel Frama comes up with something, though, I might check that out, if only to drool. I still love my old Wizard case, and my Advantage case from them, too. Very lovely, solid product, and they've been keeping customers happy for a long time.
Addendum: After a couple of months with it, mine is holding together just fine. I had to trim a bit of vinyl fringe, butvall vinyl does that ( it frays a bit after it's freshly cut, but after you trim it once, unless it's cut really crooked, you're done). I have noticed that after a bit of stretching from the daily+ in & out I do to use the dock, it's loose enough to partially obscure the rear camera, not to mention trying to take pics with the flap cover is a huge PITA. If I used this camera a lot, I'd be totally fed up with this case. I may also be melting a bigger hole for the speaker (whch is hard-core disappointing to begin with). All in all, though, that's it for my complaints, which is pretty rare for me.I plan on cloud storage sync and a great cam on my next phone to use the tab for pviewing,
To be fair the official HP Touchpad case does the same thing to my Touchpad so it's one of those things.
I use the same case for my Thinkpad Tablet, and it's the best I've encountered so far, albeit with some flaws of it's own: Some of the stitching on the inside of the cover is already beginning to fall apart after ~1 Month of usage :-/
Stitching has been fine on mine, maybe tell the reseller to exchange it?
Wow cool.... but its little bit expensive
http://youtu.be/TeStBNHqCZA
Video of the skin installed on my Note 3.
I ordered this directly from Skinomi and it took them over a week to get it to me. This wouldn't be an issue but I live 10 minutes from their company office. Maybe I've been spoiled by Amazon Prime Shipping, but they're way too slow in getting their product out.
So far the skin seems pretty well made. We'll see how it holds up after a week or so and I'll revise my review at that time. One disappointing thing is that it doesn't include the front cover. Others like cruzerlite provide full coverage so it looks more uniform. Having the wood on the sides and back, but not the front detracts from the total package. What I mean is, it doesn't look like a solid slab of wood like the cruzerlite skins do (you can see examples in the nexus 5 forums.)
Also, due to the shape of the Note 3's back, the cover doesn't fully wrap over the phone so the brown against the black is somewhat visible.
Thanks a lot for a nice review. Though it happens sometime, but if the delay is repeated again and again then that means there is defenitely something wrong with the service
nice review, how was the installation process? was it hard? or was it like a screen protector? to me a screen protector is pretty easy to install.
pham818 said:
nice review, how was the installation process? was it hard? or was it like a screen protector? to me a screen protector is pretty easy to install.
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Installation is fairly easy. Just align and press down. The edges were a little harder because you have to get it on exact to line up the holes correctly.